Another day with a pair'a'dice

Do you enjoy going to work? As in, do you wake up in the morning and think - Yes! Today is a wonderful day to go into work, and put in a good productive 8 hours?

Not many people do and I feel that this has more to do with the atmosphere in the office than the work itself. Yes, I admit, somedays it's just about the fact that you would rather stay at home, in bed, under the covers, with a hot cup of tea (or coffee, or something else) and a good book, than you would like to get up, get ready and go to work.But then there are those times, when the work you are doing is really worth it... the times when you are just rearing to go, and you know what you need to do to get something done.

Of course, for me, those days are rarer nowadays than they ever were. And it is very clear that it has to do with the office atmosphere. My boss, is getting on everyone's nerves, not just my own. My colleagues are all bitching about the work atmosphere and other similar things. My team is telling me that they are planning to quit - nothing to do with me, they graciously admit.

But my situation isn't even as bad (putting it mildly) as N's. Her situation is the kind that one never ever imagines would happen in an office of an MNC with progressive, intelligent people. It is unfortunately, a problem that many people, not only women, face in an office environment. I don't mean necessarily that the men are subject to sexual harassment, but rather that the work culture does not allow for a happy, healthy working space.

If you are one of those people who feels vaguely (or not so vaguely) unhappy about the way people in your office behave, please make a point of it - fight for a better working atmosphere.

Or at least give N as much support as you can. She is fighting (as someone has said) for "all working women".

Those of you who read my poetry blog might know that my oldest friend just died recently. But lfe does go on, somehow, slowly and painfully. And sometimes, you almost (but not quite) forget the thought.

You're busy with your life. Your own life is good. Problems seem to have faded. But you feel guilty as well. Should I really be happy? Shouldn't I let the weight of death press down upon my shoulders and let the world see the burden of my loss? I am not actually being corny here. This is the way that a lot of people think.

I think, remembering him, that trying to be happy is the best way to be. I remember laughter lines through all sadness.

That is my memory of him, after everything.

I got a new job! Yes Yes! Ra Ra!

... and all that jazz.

And before you ask, I like it. I like it a lot.

But...

and here's the big but(t?) :

I have a team of twelve to manage. Which in itself isn't so bad, but the guy who was leading the team before I joined is now to be my subordinate!

Hoo boy!

And then the big bang! He's quit!

Possibly not because of me, but still - what does that mean for the rest of the team. Within a month they go from interacting with a guy they've known for over a year, to a new guy, with new ideas, who speaks a different geek-speak from them.

Yea, verily the alien has landed.

Leaving a job after four years is difficult. You get used to the people, the places, the things. (Hist: The things are also people. Okay okay, the people, the places, the... other... people! For reference read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!)

The company I work for is on the verge of shutting shop, so I'm out looking for a new job. That's not necessarily too hard for a techie in Bangalore. Maybe I should write my own song Ah'm a techie, Ah'm a techie, in Bangalore *grin*.

But it's still scary. It's a cold world out there... okay, not because Bangalore temperatures seem to be reaching boiling point - but you know what I mean!

Now, of course, you're saying - Ah! he's using humour as an antidote to tension. Too true.

I'm tense because I'm looking for a new job. I'm tense because I'm leaving a place I've worked at for four years and I've had good times there (bad times too, but let's not talk about that on my blog!). I'm tense because A is giving me these dirty looks (quickly hidden) which say something like 'I told you to change your job long ago, I never liked your boss anyway!'. I'm tense because I don't adapt well to change - it's not that I can't cope. Of course I can cope, but it's not easy. And to top it off, I'm not a natural extrovert. So I have to make an effort every time I need to meet or talk to someone I don't meet regularly. And of course, when you're job hunting, you need to meet and talk and interact with a bunch of strangers! Wow! Whatafunthing I hear you extroverts out there going! But not for me, you see.

So while the going is good, I hope to wheedle out every ounce of sympathy from anybody who is willing to give it - and a job at the end of it, I hope!

Here I am in Dubai. Or rather, I have been in Dubai for the last ten days on work. But it seems like I've not left home (Bangalore)!

I get off the flight and the immigration officer at passport control speaks to me in Hindi, the cab drivers pushing and shoving to get my attention are speaking Hindi. I walk into the hotel and the receptionist and the manager are speaking in Malayalam. The room next to mine seems to have Tamil music on at top volume. Everyone seems to speak an Indian language, even the Arabs themselves!

Where have I come, I think to myself!

But the comparison doesn't end there. Especially when you know what Bangalore is like nowadays. Two words! Traffic Jams.

With endless road improvement and a huge number of new complexes coming up, it feels just like home. In fact, two hour commutes to work (in Jebel Ali) are the norm rather than the exception.

But there are differences. The primary one being cleanliness. For a city in the middle of a desert you might expect it to be dirtier, but it's quite clean, except in certain parts where the red tobacco stains line the walls! The other is the obvious wealth. Ferrari's and Porche's are seen regularly, while the idea of a small car is a Hyundai Accent!


There are the obviously beautiful things too, like the Dubai creek, which you can see above. But then you have the really, really weird. At the Mall of the Emirates - a new shopping mall designed to look somewhat like a Middle-Eastern palace - you will find a ski-slope! In the middle of a desert country! But that's not the weirdest. The weirdest thing about this, is that the ski slope is the shiny metal structure sticking out of the palace building, complete with changing lights! You can't see the lights in the picture, but trust me, it looks like Steven Spielberg crossed with Lawrence of Arabia!



But I still miss my home. I still have another 4 days to go, but I am counting down the days!